Willie
by Maya Angelou
Willie was a man without fame,
Hardly anybody knew his name.
Crippled and limping, always walking lame,
He said, “I keep on movin’
Movin’ just the same.”
Solitude was the climate in his head,
Emptiness was the partner in his bed,
Pain echoed in the steeps of his tread,
He said, “I keep on followin’
Where the leaders led.
“I may cry and I will die,
But my spirit is the soul of every spring,
Watch for me and you will see
That I’m present in the songs that children sing.”
People called him “Uncle,” “boy” and “Hey,”
Said, “You can’t live through this another day.”
The, they waited to hear what he would say.
He said, “I’m living
In the games that children play.
“You may enter my sleep, people my dreams,
Threaten my early morning’s ease,
But I keep comin’ followin’ laughin’ cryin’,
Sure as a summer breeze.
“Wait for me, watch for me.
My spirit is the surge of open seas.
Look for me, ask for me,
I’m the rustle in the autumn leaves.
“When the sun rises
I am the time.
When the children sing
I am the Rhyme.”
Song Maya Angelou wrote for Roberta Flack called “Willie”~ for Maya's Uncle, who impacted people’s lives in extraordinary ways.
I’ve grown accustomed to upheaval in an unnatural way; Yet as a Christian, I am to forgive and harbour no hatred, even though what has resulted is my trust being bent and broken. I do take comfort in knowing that every single person along the way, I gave them something no matter what: Respect
 |
| When times I wanted to let the hurt destroy who I am, I folded my hands in prayer for them... |
There is a saying: When boundaries
are violated and questions arise, it makes the perpetrator defensive in ways
that exudes guilt. I can spot it looking straight at me…yet it is only after I
am sullied once again, do I shake my head in disbelief of how I have been
betrayed. While church and my bible explore the source of forgiveness, there is
one person who I continue to gain understanding on her meaning of it.
A woman whose boundaries were jeopardized to such a severe degree, she went mute for five years, was legendary author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. At the age where innocence is something expected of a child just shy of her eighth birthday; Maya was raped with savagery and had to be hospitalized. The man, who carried out the crime, was later found dead. Maya blamed herself for speaking his name and plunged into a world of silence.
This did not stop her from unbinding her emotional wounds, to let her mind delve into the realm of literature. She read and memorized in half a decade, Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allen Poe, sonnets, plays and endless stories. What emerged out of wickedness was a mind bursting with knowledge and understanding.
Maya had a disciplined nature as a result of her muteness, which eased her into understanding the violation she endured, would also see her triumph. When she spoke again, it was in a manner that commanded attention. In silence she had been saved and now it was time to release upon the world, a voice that expressed much in a melodic way.
In my collection of Maya Angelou’s books, the revered copy of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has provided me with the mutual understanding that rape, does not discriminate.
The defiling act colours outside the lines of classification, while bordering rage binds with evil, in the act of violence it perpetuates.
Yet Maya herself laid no claim to cynicism, as she entrusted countless others, throughout her 86 years of living. Refusing to let the fragments of one horrifying moment disable who she was, she grew from it; sought wisdom and absorbed the pages of words that would develop into her own legacy.
In my novel, Under the Sitka Tree, the fictitious character Evamya was crafted out of my reverence for Maya Angelou. The qualities of freedom, unity and value of life breathed into the jovial layers of Evamya’s spirit, pay homage to Maya.
For me, a warrior devoid of roots of her own, I drape the Survivor shawl of my existence around the writing of this lady. Maya Angelou’s own experiences drew from life’s setbacks, while her achievements revealed the state of her trusting heart.
You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. Please remember that your difficulties do not define you. They simply strengthen your ability to overcome ~ Maya Angelou
By TL Alton
A woman whose boundaries were jeopardized to such a severe degree, she went mute for five years, was legendary author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. At the age where innocence is something expected of a child just shy of her eighth birthday; Maya was raped with savagery and had to be hospitalized. The man, who carried out the crime, was later found dead. Maya blamed herself for speaking his name and plunged into a world of silence.
This did not stop her from unbinding her emotional wounds, to let her mind delve into the realm of literature. She read and memorized in half a decade, Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allen Poe, sonnets, plays and endless stories. What emerged out of wickedness was a mind bursting with knowledge and understanding.
Maya had a disciplined nature as a result of her muteness, which eased her into understanding the violation she endured, would also see her triumph. When she spoke again, it was in a manner that commanded attention. In silence she had been saved and now it was time to release upon the world, a voice that expressed much in a melodic way.
In my collection of Maya Angelou’s books, the revered copy of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has provided me with the mutual understanding that rape, does not discriminate.
The defiling act colours outside the lines of classification, while bordering rage binds with evil, in the act of violence it perpetuates.
Yet Maya herself laid no claim to cynicism, as she entrusted countless others, throughout her 86 years of living. Refusing to let the fragments of one horrifying moment disable who she was, she grew from it; sought wisdom and absorbed the pages of words that would develop into her own legacy.
In my novel, Under the Sitka Tree, the fictitious character Evamya was crafted out of my reverence for Maya Angelou. The qualities of freedom, unity and value of life breathed into the jovial layers of Evamya’s spirit, pay homage to Maya.
For me, a warrior devoid of roots of her own, I drape the Survivor shawl of my existence around the writing of this lady. Maya Angelou’s own experiences drew from life’s setbacks, while her achievements revealed the state of her trusting heart.
You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. Please remember that your difficulties do not define you. They simply strengthen your ability to overcome ~ Maya Angelou
By TL Alton
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